Dragons
Dragons are sentient beasts, rulers of a bygone era. Once the greatest foes of the mountain-dwelling cultures, their decline made room for the humanoid wars which have shaped the world of that region's inhabitants. Appearance Contrary to some mythic depictions, dragons only appear in colours ranging between a dark crimson, a rough or coppery hue of brown, and black. Dragons grow to over 50 meters in length, with a similar wingspan. Their wings are connected to their backs separately from their quadrupedal legs, each with long claws and a fair deal of dexterity - enough for some particularly skilled dragons to hold items. Their skin is scaled, with seemingly random scutes of armour, and their back is spined and slightly sailed. At the end of a somewhat long neck - long enough to allow for looking fully to either side, and slightly behind itself - is a skull both large and reptilian, but with a fair degree of wry intelligence apparent in the eyes and expression of the mouth. Individual appearances differ within these guidelines. Behaviour There is no natural limit on a dragon's lifespan - only injury and disease can kill them. This longevity precludes dragons from forming strong attachments with impermanent things, at risk of loss - the only thing which they cannot lose, they have learned, is themselves, and as such, they inevitably become very self-centred and self-serving. In the past, dragons made attempts to control the world, to create a world which could not be changed. However, the current modus operandi for dragons is isolation - a behaviour which they accept for most of their lives. Occasionally, they will emerge from their fortress strongholds and forgotten dungeons or caves, flying to hunt, change homes, or mate with others of their kind. For the most part, however, dragons rely on messengers and minions to bring them food and news of the outside world, or to run their errands and missions for them while they pay handsomely from their ancient stockpiles of gold and jewels. A dragon without a horde can hardly function as a dragon - horde-building is not a habit, but a necessity of their current form of life, and often a relic of their historic past. While a dragon's memory is not perfect, it still may contain some of the oldest and most forgotten knowledge about the ancient world, ancient culture, and arcane knowledge. Dragons are one of the few creatures naturally imbued with a magical essence. This usually embodies itself in their strength, uncanny sentience, immortality, and fire-breath. However, the magic also acts as an influence of chaos, making their personality and its development unpredictable, and at times having varying effects, such as insanity or small, curse-like traits, on the creatures or people who spend long periods of time with the dragon. This also applies to increasing the magical strength in a region inhabited by a dragon for long periods of time. The magical aura of a dragon increases as it ages, very slowly - this means that a dragon who has lived for a millennium will be approximately five times stronger, in general, than one which has lived for 200 years. Location Dragons live in their mountain lairs, but are very rarely seen. The locations of some of these lairs are vaguely known, but they are almost never approached for rather obvious reasons. Dragon lairs may be located in caverns or cave systems, ancient fortresses or strongholds - sometimes designed and built for and by dragons themselves - or other sufficiently large and secluded structures. Very rarely, a dragon's silhouette may be seen drifting between distant peaks - however, dragons very rarely approach settlements themselves, instead sending emissaries while they remain in the safety and comfort of their lairs.